It's time for some tennis trivia!
Think you’re a winner when it comes to tennis trivia? We invite you to test your skills! We’ll play two sets (six questions each), then throw in a tiebreaker. If you ace all 13 questions, you’re in the finals!
FIRST SET
1. DEFENDING CHAMP
Question: Can you identify the Volvo Car Open’s defending champion, Daria Kasatkina? See photos above.
2. OLYMPIC SPORT
Question: Tennis was present at the Olympic games from 1886 to 1924, but then disappeared for more than half a century. In what year did tennis officially rejoin the Olympics?
* 1988
* 1996
* 2004
* 2016
3. WILL AGE AND TREACHERY OVERCOME YOUTH AND SKILL?
Question: Twelve of the main draw’s 43 players were born in the 1980s (the rest in the 90s!). Of these four players, who is the oldest?
* Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine)
* Varvara Lepchenko (Uzbekistan)
* Sam Stosur (Australia)
* Elena Vesnina (Ukraine)
4. REPRESENTING YOUR COUNTRY
Question: In next week’s tournament, the United States will be well represented, with eight or more players in the main draw. Which country comes next, with five players in the main draw?
* Australia
* Czech Republic
* Germany
* Russia
5. ALL-TIME GREATS
Question: Which of these all-time greats won the Volvo Car Open (formerly, the Family Circle Cup), the most times?
* Chris Evert
* Steffi Graf
* Martina Navratilova
* Serena Williams
6. FORMER CHAMPIONS
Question: The last four Volvo Car Open Champions are, in alphabetical order (by first name), Andrea, Angelique, Daria & Sloane.
What’s Andrea’s last name?
* Pierce
* Pliskova
* Petkovic
* Petra
SECOND SET
7. FAMOUS CITIES
Question: The Grand Slams of tennis are held each year in London, Melbourne, New York and Paris. Which tournament is the oldest, debuting in 1877? The next three began in 1881, 1891 and 1905.
* Australian Open - Melbourne
* French Open - Paris
* U.S. Open – New York
* Wimbledon – London
8. WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Question: You’ll enjoy watching these four top players next week, respectively ranked 35, 17, 54 and 24 in the world. One of these four hails from Latvia, a Baltic state that gained independence from Russia in 1991. Which one?
* Lucie Safarova
* Anastasija Sevastova
* Katerina Siniakova
* Barbara Strycova
9. GRAND SLAM CHAMPION
Question: Last year, Serena Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam tournament. Which Volvo Car Open champion did she pass (this champion had 22 Grand Slam championships).
* Margaret Court
* Chris Evert
* Steffi Graf
* Martina Navratilova
10. LEFTIES
Question: Of the 43 players currently in the main draw of the Volvo Car Open, only six are left-handed. Four of them are listed below. Which one hails from South America (she’s ranked 59th in the world)?
* Mihaela Buzarnescu
* Petra Kvitova
* Beatriz Haddad Maia
* Kristyna Pliskova
11. BATTLE OF THE SEXES
Question: Twelve years after Billie Jean King vanquished Bobby Riggs in the historic 1973 Battle of the Sexes, Martina Navratilova teamed with Pam Shriver in doubles, to defeat Riggs and his partner. Who was Riggs’ partner that day?
* Jimmy Connors
* John McEnroe
* Ilie Nastase
* Vitas Gerulaitis
12. RECENT CHAMPIONS
Question: over the last 10 years, the Volvo Car Open has been won by players from five countries: the United States (4x), Germany (3x), and what other three countries (one time each)?
* Serbia, Belgium and Russia
* Czech Republic, Russia and Romania
* Russia, Denmark and Australia
* Australia, Belgium and Czech Republic
TIEBREAKER
Question: The longest women’s match (by time) took place at a tournament in Richmond, Virginia, in 1984, when Vicki Nelson took six hours, 31 minutes to defeat Jean Hepner 6–4, 7–6 (13–11).
The match featured the longest rally in the history of professional tennis: a 643-shot rally (not a typo!). How long do you think that point took?
A) 9 minutes
B) 19 minutes
C) 29 minutes
D) 39 minutes
Answers to trivia:
1. B
2. 1988
3. Sam Stosur
4. Czech Republic
5. Chris Evert
6. Petkovic
7. Wimbledon – London
8. Anastasija Sevastova
9. Steffi Graf
10. Beatriz Haddad Maia
11. Vita Gerulaitis
12. Russia, Denmark and Australia
13. 29 minutes